DuPont forms joint venture to produce cellulosic ethanol

[HoosierRon]

DuPont and Genencor Create World-Leading Cellulosic Ethanol Company

WILMINGTON, Del., U.S., and COPENHAGEN, Denmark, May 14, 2008 - DuPont and Genencor, a division of Danisco A/S, today announced an agreement to form DuPont Danisco Cellulosic Ethanol LLC, a 50/50 global joint venture to develop and commercialize the leading, low-cost technology solution for the production of cellulosic ethanol....

The partners plan an initial three-year investment of US$140 million, which will initially target corn stover and sugar cane bagasse. Future targets include multiple ligno-cellulosic feedstocks including wheat straw, a variety of energy crops and other biomass sources.
...
In the United States, the joint venture will scale up an optimized technology package for corn cobs from integrating the proprietary DuPont pretreatment and ethanologen technologies with the innovative enzyme technology of Genencor, while DuPont continues to analyze the collection and storage of cellulosic feedstocks. The global joint venture expects its first pilot plant to be operational in the United States in 2009, and its first commercial-scale demonstration facility to be operational within the next three years. The joint venture will be headquartered in the United States and will be formed after receipt of required regulatory approvals.

The joint venture will license its technology package directly to ethanol producers for deployment in the United States and around the world, as well as through the establishment of regional cellulosic ethanol affiliates. The regional ethanol affiliates will invest in equity interests with strategic partners, including ethanol producers and energy companies, to enable the rapid deployment of the joint venture’s cellulosic ethanol technology at commercial scale. The joint venture’s technology package can be used both as a “bolt-on” to an existing ethanol plant -- expanding its capacity to accept cellulosic feedstocks -- or as the design basis for a stand-alone cellulosic ethanol facility. The joint venture expects to enable production of commercial volumes of cellulosic ethanol by 2012.

[ctaylorzl1]

Wow, DuPont! Great news that a huge company such as DuPont is getting in the ethanol buisness. Hopefully more will follow! These jumps in ethanol are very exciting, wheather its breakthroughs in production or companys signing on to help push it forward. And all this cant come to soon, as gasoline here in central indiana hit 3.95 yesterday!

[EatonISgay]

Originally Posted by ctaylorzl1

Wow, DuPont! Great news that a huge company such as DuPont is getting in the ethanol buisness. Hopefully more will follow! These jumps in ethanol are very exciting, wheather its breakthroughs in production or companys signing on to help push it forward. And all this cant come to soon, as gasoline here in central indiana hit 3.95 yesterday!

Calm down its not that exciting.

Rant starts here:
Don't look for gas prices to drop too much either. DuPont and others are in the business of separating you from your money. Don't forget that. There is nothing wrong with that, but there goal is not saving the planet, or helping lower gas prices. The goal is profit. Someone saw $3.50+ a gallon and said, hmmm, I think we could get a piece of that pie.

Levity to lighten the mood:
Someone has been watching too many touchy, feely DuPont ads on tv. : /

More rant:
Wake me up in 10 years and if gas prices are at least half of what they are today than I will personally kiss the ass of Mr. DuPont himself. But somehow I doubt gas prices will do anything but go up. In 10 years you will see ethanol has done nothing to lower prices. The excuse higher demand. Ethanol has helped offset demand and prices would be even higher than they are today if not for..., blah, blah, blah. If you buy that your an idiot.

The saddest and most dissapointing thing is nobody has even questioned high prices. Nobody is asking any of the leading candidates what they would do to solve this problem that is only going to get worse. I doubt the chinese will suddenly stop there economic expansion. What are thet talking about:

-Obama-change. Change what stupid?
-McCain? Hmmm. What's his point exactly? Oh yeah, I am not Obama or Hillary.
-Hillary-we can do better. How exactly? More spending???

Americans need to send a serious message this year and tell both parties where to stick it. Vote 3rd party. Why not. Can anyone possibly do any worse? Republicans and democrats are one in the same. Until we have the balls to tell both of them where to go, we will get more of the same.

[Stéphane Dumas]

speaking of DuPont, I wondered what happened to their butanol project? We hadn't heard a word since 2 years ago
http://www.usatoday.com/money/indust...-butanol_x.htm

[HoosierRon]

Originally Posted by Stéphane Dumas

speaking of DuPont, I wondered what happened to their butanol project? We hadn't heard a word since 2 years ago
http://www.usatoday.com/money/indust...-butanol_x.htm

It's not much, but here is some butanol news in today's headlines.

[johnstarnes]

awesome news....so much plant based waste currently being burned and buried!

[SierraGS]

With DuPont in the game the Alternative Fuel industry is validated and will grow from here, Chemical companies like DuPont and Dow are adversly affected by high petroleum prices as much or more than other industries and they have the built in expertise to tackle these problems - as they say "neccessity is the mother of invention"

[PhishPhood]

Originally Posted by ctaylorzl1

Wow, DuPont! Great news that a huge company such as DuPont is getting in the ethanol buisness. Hopefully more will follow! These jumps in ethanol are very exciting, wheather its breakthroughs in production or companys signing on to help push it forward. And all this cant come to soon, as gasoline here in central indiana hit 3.95 yesterday!

I was going to say ..... when Dupont gets involved things begin to get done. This is as significant as GM's involvement but even moreso. Dupont is a chemical giant with 100's of years of experience.

Now all the others have to take note and not let this giant get too far into the lead.